Penn State men’s volleyball ousts St. Francis

Penn State men’s volleyball won its opening match in Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association play, sweeping St. Francis on Friday night at Rec Hall.

The No. 13 Nittany Lions used an efficient night to drop the Red Flash 25-21, 25-20, 25-18. The sweep exacted a little revenge for the Nittany Lions, who suffered their first EIVA tournament loss since 1998 last season, falling to the Red Flash and denying them a trip to the national championship tournament.

Chris Nugent paced the offense with 16 kills on .600 hitting to go with eight digs and two aces, including an ace on match point. Cal Mende added 11 kills, Royce Clemens picked up seven digs and Luke Braswell directed the offense to a .423 hitting night with 35 assists.

Penn State (6-4) committed only 14 errors in the match. St. Francis hit .230 and made 31 errors in hitting and serving.